THE Defence Headquarters says the troops of Operation Hadin Kai have in the last two weeks, eliminated no fewer than 38 Boko Haram/Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists, including its new leader, Mallam Bako.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuko, said this while giving an update on the operations of the armed forces across the country between October 14 and October 28 today in Abuja.
Onyeuko added that a total of 11 criminal elements including terrorists, their informants and logistics suppliers were arrested, while five kidnapped civilians were rescued in the course of the operations.
He said the troops recovered 29 assorted weapons, 166 rounds of assorted ammunition as well as two gun trucks and 622 bags of fertiliser, used for the production of IEDs.
He added that some of these feats were recorded at Dar, Kumshe, Wulgo, Chabbol and Kijmatari villages in Borno State as well as locations along Ngala – Wulgo and Nguru – Kano roads.
Other locations were; Dikwa and Mafa villages as well as Ngama village in Yobe.
Onyeuko further said a total of 1,199 terrorists and their families, comprising 114 adult males, 312 adult females and 773 children, surrendered to troops at different locations in the North-East between October 15 and October 28.
He also said the Air Component had on Oct. 20, scored another devastating hit on BHT/ISWAP terrorist elements at Malam Fatori, on the fringes of Lake Chad, killing scores of terrorists.
According to him, the feat was achieved on the heels of credible intelligence reports and after a series of aerial surveillance, which confirmed the convergence of terrorist elements in 20 boats at the location.
“Consequently, airstrikes were executed on the target with various NAF platforms, which led to the destruction of the boats and neutralisation of scores of the terrorists, while few of them flee in disarray with varying degrees of wounds.
“Similarly, on Oct. 21, the air component engaged the terrorists in successive airstrikes and neutralised scores in Yobe,” he said.
Onyeuko stated that the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Awwal Gambo, paid an operational visit to the Maritime Component at Baga on Oct. 19 to further enhance its operational efforts in the zone.
According to Onyeuko, Gambo assured officers and ratings of the Naval Base Baga of his commitment to ensure necessary assets and logistics needed for effective execution of operations in the North East are provided to achieve the joint operational objectives of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
NAN
